Cancer does not discriminate—it can affect any patient, old or young. When caught early, many types of cancer are treatable through chemotherapy or radiation.

However, there are certain cancers that keep on growing despite doctors’ best efforts. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is that cancer cells with stem cell properties enable cancers to perpetuate even after treatment. These particular cells are known as “cancer stem cells” .

While doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital continue to use the latest innovations to treat cancer, stem cell researchers have taken an interest in what cancer stem cells can teach us about how to tackle the disease.

Spotlight

Cancer at Children’s

Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Care, the integrated pediatric oncology program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital Boston, provides–in one specialized program–all the services of both a leading cancer center and a pediatric hospital. Click here for more information on how we can help your child.